He said he had "absolutely no idea" why Rana, a father of five, was targeted.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, and called on Afghan authorities to take "urgent steps to apprehend the perpetrators."

Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan, Omar Zakhilwal condemned the killing in a message on Twitter, and said he conveyed his government's sympathies to the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad.

The incident comes after the deputy governor of Afghanistan’s eastern province of Kunar, Muhammad Nabi Ahmadi, was kidnapped by gunmen in the Pakistani city of Peshawar on October 27. No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction.

In June, two Pakistani diplomats working at the Pakistani Consulate in Jalalabad were kidnapped and later freed by security forces in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's relations are often tense with Pakistan, which has been accused by Kabul of secretly supporting extremists who are attempting to overthrow the Afghan government.